Tears of Summer
by KrissaBelle7
Summary: My Castle 2014 Ficathon Entry. Season 2 finale prompt: In A Deadly Game, Gina shows up 30 seconds later. Cover Art by Angie (Dtrekker) :)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks Trish for the awesome beta and for being so patient with me! I'm aware that there's another ficathon entry based on this prompt, but Trish assures me there are differences when we go AU (I haven't read that story in order to remain uninfluenced.)

Disclaimer: Castle and its characters do not belong to me. I'm merely borrowing some scenes and lines from 2x24 A Deadly Game to set up the premise of this story but after that it's all AU.

Prompt: In A Deadly Game, Gina shows up 30 seconds later.

* * *

"Ocean view from my patio. It does _not_ get better than this."

Beckett continued to stare ahead blankly as her peripheral vision took in Castle's phone and the cup of coffee he had slid in front of her. Was he really trying to get her to go to the Hampton's with him?

She had been intrigued by his invitation earlier that morning. After all, who wouldn't? Bonfires and a private pool, not to mention the ocean just beyond the stretch of soft sand.

And that flippant line he threw out about skinny-dipping. Beckett had had to literally bite her tongue to keep her retort unvoiced.

But she shouldn't- really, she couldn't, it wouldn't be appropriate. Things between them were… confusing, more so ever since they teamed up with Demming to solve their latest case. Best to change the topic and focus on the case instead.

She gave him a look, and he was attuned enough to know that her mind was on other matters.

"What's wrong?"

And just like that, she had an opening to discuss her findings about Fastwater Global Services with him. This, talking about their case, bouncing ideas off each other, this was what they do best. This was safe territory.

* * *

Things progressed quickly after Castle uncovered the message recording in the pen. After clearing things with Captain Montgomery, Beckett and Castle went to the cafe to meet with the victim's contact. It was sort of funny watching Castle fail so miserably at establishing contact. The way he returned to her – tail between his legs after getting shot down by the lady he was _sure_ had to be their person – Beckett hated to admit it, but it was sort of adorable.

They took a reprieve to survey their surroundings, see if it could have been anyone else. Unfortunately, Castle took that opportunity to ask her about the Hampton's once more.

"Speaking of off the grid, I was serious about this weekend," he said, keeping his voice low.

She looked to him. "You're seriously asking me to your place in the Hampton's?"

She figured he was just being polite earlier. After telling her about what he and Alexis used to do for their summers, maybe he felt bad about telling her about his place so he extended an invitation to her, knowing she would turn it down. She didn't expect him to actually mean it.

"I promise, no funny stuff. Just a… friendly getaway. It will be _fun_."

The way his voice rasped as a result of keeping his volume down was… distracting.

"Yeah, I…" the words flew out of her mouth before her mind could even catch up. Wait, did she actually say that out loud? No, that was a terrible idea. She _couldn't _go up there with him. It would most definitely not just be a "friendly getaway". Not with him in his board shorts, lounging by the pool. Or was he more of a jog-down-the-beach kind of guy?

Nonetheless, he wouldn't have to continue wearing his dress shirts if they were on vacation. There was nothing wrong with a well-put together man, but somehow Beckett had a feeling he would fill out a T-shirt just fine as well. She could picture the soft cotton material, thin from constant wear, stretched over his pecs. Oh yeah, sometime during their partnership Castle had most definitely began working out, and the results were impressive.

The dress shirts he continued wearing provided good cover, but Beckett could tell that he was in better shape by the hints of muscle and the general definition and shape of his body. Not that she was paying particular attention to his body. It was just part of her job as a detective to notice small details.

No, spending the weekend with him, just the two of them in his mansion would be a bad idea.

"No. You know… some of us have to work for a living." Her rebuttal was weak and she knew it. Besides, she was with Tom now. It wouldn't be… appropriate. Beckett turned her face away from him, hoping he would take it as a sign to drop the conversation and just let it slide.

No such luck.

Raising his eyebrows, Castle asked, "On memorial day?"

Thinking quickly, Beckett tried to save herself. "Yes, I spend all of my vacation days looking for a new place to live."

She was prepared to justify her answer, but Castle started shushing her instead. Tensing, she immediately became alert and quickly noticed what had caught Castle's attention. They both froze and slowly turned away from each other, trying not to attract attention to themselves. It was time to make herself scarce as Castle attempted to establish contact a second time.

This time, he had better luck.

Beckett kept an eye on their exchange, prepared to step in at any moment. When their contact pushed Castle against the wall, Beckett immediately drew her gun against him.

"NYPD!" she announced, voice clear and firm. No one threatened her partner. No one. As the other man slowly turned around, she continued, "Hands up."

Of course, her partner was the one to raise his hands in the air. Beckett tried not to roll her eyes - she had to remain focused on the other man instead.

"Not you, Castle."

* * *

Thanks to Castle's breakthrough the previous evening, they had new leads for the next morning. Kate had been waiting for her partner to arrive in the morning when Tom dropped by. He began telling her about the case he had closed last night, leaning forward to surround her, his body caging her in while his low voice in her ear made the story seem funnier and dirtier than it actually was.

One moment she was leaning in, trying to hold back a giggle, and in the next she saw Castle walking towards them, his pace considerably slower than usual.

Kate pulled back. Suddenly she felt like the teenager who got caught making out with a senior behind the bleachers. She felt her cheeks burn even though there wasn't a valid reason for her to feel embarrassed. She wasn't doing anything wrong with Tom, but then why did she feel self-conscious with a twinge of guilt? Why did she feel responsible when Castle's face fell and his eyes turned downcast for a millisecond before he was able to school his face into blatant indifference?

Thankfully, Tom finished his story quickly - maybe he, too, sensed her awkwardness - and straightened up. He saw Castle and murmured a quick "See you later," before leaving.

Kate busied herself, grabbing her binder and red leather jacket in order to avoid watching the exchange between Castle and Tom.

"Didn't mean to break up your party."

"No, no party. I was actually waiting for you," Kate turned slowly, turning down Castle's polite apology automatically.

She brought him up to date with her progress on the case as they headed down the bullpen, and then decided to change gears as she remembered something from before Tom's arrival.

"Oh yeah, and your ex-wife called. She said that you had been avoiding her because you were late delivering your manuscript of-" Kate turned sharply to face him, "Naked Heat."

Her struggle to maintain her composure had nothing to do with how good he looked in that red dress shirt. It had nothing to do with the way it complemented her red leather jacket. No, Kate was keeping a tight lid because she didn't want him to know how she was secretly mildly thrilled by the title of the next Nikki Heat book. He would automatically interpret her demeanor as trying to suppress the _grief_ she had gone through after Gina let slip the title.

She pushed on before Castle could come up with a defense. "That's a catchy title. When were you going to tell me?"

"Well, I was waiting for the perfect time, it just never… happened." Castle was tilting his head to one side; in fact, he was almost cringing, as though he was prepared to save his ear lobe from her fingers.

Her fingers itched to pinch something. Anything. Instead, Kate remained outwardly calm and continued; "She's naked on the cover again isn't she?"

Really, she shouldn't be expecting much, especially since the cover of Nikki Heat - which was still doing really well, according to Castle - was of the detective holding a strategically placed gun. This book was titled _Naked Heat_, all the more reason for Castle to pick a cover that was-

"Kinda, yeah."

"That's great," she bit out, turning to walk away. "No one's gonna make fun of me."

* * *

The trip to Spy Ventures led them to another player, who gave them a new lead to run down. As Ryan checked the locker at the bus depot, Beckett and Castle interviewed the victim's wife and his business partner. The interview didn't turn up much, but now that they'd identified the victim, Beckett sent Esposito to check his financials to see if anything popped.

She and Castle then took their usual spots in front of the murder board, hypothesizing and bouncing ideas off one another.

"Speaking of red flags," Castle murmured just loud enough for Kate to catch, before continuing at a more normal tone, "Hey, Demming."

Kate turned to watch her boyfriend greet her partner somewhat awkwardly, "Hey, Castle." She stood to join him, standing slightly away from Castle so they could have some privacy for whatever Tom wanted to say. As Tom began talking about the beach house and a reservation opening up, Kate transferred her weight uneasily, unconsciously using her body to shield her boyfriend and their conversation from her partner.

Tom left after she said that she would check into it, and Kate had no choice but to turn around as the cat was let out of the bag.

Castle was smiling at her, but his eyes were somewhat distant, as though he was closed off from her. "Beach house. Thought you were working this weekend."

Kate looked down as she apologized, not daring to look him in the eye. "Yeah, I'm sorry Castle, I should've just told you, I just didn't want things to be…" She gestured with her hands, the movements helping with her uneasiness as she struggled to find the correct word.

"Awkward," she finally settled upon the word, looking him in the face, "between us, now that Tom and I are… together." _Great job at _not_ making things awkward there, Kate,_ she mentally chided herself. However, Castle's face was a picture of acceptance and understanding, and somehow that hurt her even more.

They stared at each other for a few long beats, Kate trying to see past his mask while trying to convey… _something! _Damn it, this was something important and she needed Castle to know-

He was the first to break their holding gaze. Whatever connection they had, that moment, it was gone. He was gone. "No, I get it. Yeah, you want your private life to be _private_."

_It's not like that_, her mind replied, but instead, she took the opening from the excuse he came up for her. "Yeah, I just- I don't want anyone to feel _uncomfortable_." She walked past him quickly, heading for her desk. She couldn't look at him now - he would read her like a book, and Kate was afraid of what he would see.

"No, of course not," he offered, always the gentleman. Kate heard him stand and walk over to her as he continued, "Actually that makes what I was gonna say a little easier."

Suddenly he was towering over her, and all Kate could do was to keep a lid on the confusing emotions that were swirling within her.

Castle settled on the desk in front of her, leaning slightly forward and pinning her with his hypnotic gaze. "Uhm, what with my book due, I was thinking it would be a good time for us to take a break."

_What? _Maybe she shouldn't have told him that she was together with Tom. She knew Tom rubbed him the wrong way and maybe she shouldn't have- Castle was still looking at her with his deep blue eyes, his undivided attention sent the thoughts in her head scattered in a thousand different directions.

Kate had her heart in her throat as she echoed his last words. "A break."

Castle continued rambling on, but Kate had partially tuned him out and was having a little trouble keeping up. Her brain was still stuck on those three words.

_Take a break._

What did he mean by that? Kate struggled to keep the frown off her face, piping up in time to ask him how long he would be in the Hamptons.

"The summer, at least."

Kate nodded robotically even though her brain rebelled against his words.

"I thought this would be our last case."

* * *

"So, Castle's last case, huh? Ryan and I thought we'd do a little going away party."

"Yeah well, it's not like he's leaving _forever_," Kate offered looking back to her murder board while attempting to comfort herself, playing it light.

"Sure about that?"

His words shocked her, and Kate stilled. She whipped her head around to look at Esposito.

"Why'd you think he's been following you around all this time? What, research? Guy's done enough research to write fifty books." Esposito was laying it straight for her. "Look, whatever the reason is, I'm pretty sure it doesn't include watching you be with another guy."

Esposito walked away, his parting words echoing Kate's earlier thoughts.

* * *

The murder board wasn't talking to her. The case wasn't talking to her. Try as she may, Kate just could not focus on the case. Castle's words replayed on a loop in her head, punctuated by Espo's remarks and her own thoughts. Giving up, Kate went to her desk and tried to work on something else to clear her mind.

Instead of finding another distraction, her gaze dropped to the empty chair beside her table.

Castle's chair.

He'd been with her for so long that she could hardly imagine working without her shadow anymore; her partner. Of course she would be able to continue solving murder cases. After all, she'd been a pretty good detective even before he came to the Twelfth, but thinking of her earlier years brought on a certain sadness.

She used to be okay with her life revolving around murder cases day in and out, but Castle made it fun. He made her laugh and took care of her. He was a constant annoyance but he was also a constant companion. He forced her to slow down and enjoy life once in a while, showing her that there was more to life than the four walls of the precinct.

Footsteps alerted Kate to the presence of someone approaching. She looked up, hoping it was her partner. Maybe he came to tell her he had a change of heart after all. Maybe-

Oh.

It was Tom.

"Hey, you ready?" He asked, smiling happily.

Kate felt a stab of guilt as she belatedly remembered her boyfriend.

"Yeah," she replied, turning to grab her things.

Tom invited her over to his place, but she begged off, telling him the case was on her mind and she wouldn't be good company. The truth was, she just wanted to go home alone and curl up with a nice glass of red wine. Hurricane Castle had left no corner of her mind untouched.

* * *

He came in with only one cup of coffee the next day. It was hard, trying to hide how much that hurt. Coffee was their thing. It had been their thing for over a year. Ever since he found out her order and started bringing her coffee so that Esposito or Ryan wouldn't have to. Maybe she really was losing him.

"Hey, uh, I was just thinking," he gestured to the chair, asking for permission which she promptly gave. Maybe he was going to discuss their partnership or try and fix this thing between them. Maybe he decided staying in the Hamptons for the whole summer was too long. Maybe-

"I've been thinking, maybe we're looking in the wrong place. Maybe the murder has nothing to do with the game. Maybe it just offered the killer an opportunity to act."

So many maybes, but none of them were what she had hoped for. She forced out "That's so funny," even though it wasn't, not at all, "because I was thinking the same thing when I woke up this morning."

_Liar, liar, pants on fire_, her brain supplied. It was a complete hindrance at a time like this.

"Maybe we got so caught up in the game that we stopped looking at what really mattered." She hoped Castle would be able to pick up what she was trying to convey – after all, they were experts at reading between the lines and communicating without really speaking – that he mattered to her, that she might have been caught up with someone new, but she didn't want it to be at the expense of her relatio- _partnership _with Castle.

He nodded emphatically, sprinkling metaphorical nutrients all over her little seed of hope and she subconsciously mimicked his gesture.

"The victim."

Ye- No. _Not_ the victim. _Them._

If she had telekinetic powers, her desk would have flown into the opposite wall. If this was to be his last case before their break, then she'd do her damned best to make it a good one. Show him how flawlessly they worked together as a team.

"Exactly. So check this out," she told him, pulling up a dossier. Kate explained the bankruptcy suit, and Castle had no problem picking up where her thoughts left off. Before either of then realized, they were finishing each other's sentences as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

A few twists and turns later - seriously, was everyone related to this case caught up in an affair?– Their murderer had been caught and the case was closed.

Kate filled in Captain Montgomery when they got back to the precinct.

"Hmm, two affairs, a loveless marriage, it's sad a man had to die because all of the people involved were too scared to say what they really felt," He commented, looking at Beckett expectantly, but Kate looked over her captain's shoulder to see her partner on his phone instead.

"Yes, it is sad," she replied distractedly as her boss departed. Castle was walking towards her, finishing his call and in a much better mood than he had been the past few days.

"Hey, I gotta run. I gotta drop Alexis at Princeton but I will be back in time for that little surprise party the boys are throwing for me, what, what?" He trailed off, looking at her weirdly.

Kate smiled; his happy mood was clearly rubbing off on her. On top of that, she had come to a decision that she couldn't wait to share with him, but she should wait. She could wait. Let him send off his daughter, and then he'd be back at the precinct and she could tell him her news.

The voices in her head were finally silent now, and she didn't mind waiting for him.

"Nothing." She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. She didn't want to betray herself too early, but her excitement leaked into her voice anyway, the little smirk in her tone coating her words with victory that was so close.

"Okay," he didn't buy it completely, but left it at that, smiling as he turned to go. "I'll see you."

Kate tracked Castle's progress as he made his way through the bullpen, struggling to keep the smile off her face. Suddenly, she saw Tom and a colleague heading for the break room, presumably to use the coffee machine Castle had gifted the Homicide department.

Her smile dropped. There was something she had to take care of, she had to end this properly - for Tom and for herself.

_And then, _her heart swelled in anticipation, _and then I can talk to Castle. _

She knocked on the door and joined Tom and his friend, making small talk and telling each other about their recent cases. When the coffee cups were empty at last, Tom's friend excused himself, sensing the other two detectives needed a moment to themselves.

Kate led Tom away from the break room into an empty corridor, somewhere quiet and secluded so they wouldn't get interrupted.

With halting words and a low but soft tone Kate told him that their plans for the weekend wasn't going to work out. She tried to let him down gently, but Tom was more astute than he led on.

"It's not just this weekend we're talking about, is it?" he asked, walking back towards her after he had loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar.

Kate gave him a sad smile, telling him the truth because they both deserved more than this. "No."

"Was it something I said, Kate? Something I did?" he asked. Bless the man - he really was a good person, always trying to fix things or take care of her. She had to stop him from going down that track, because he didn't do anything wrong.

He could be the perfect man - charming, handsome, smart and caring, all qualities of the perfect boyfriend, but just not the right one for her.

"No, you're great. You're really great, and I really like you. It's just, I don't think that this is what I'm looking for right now," she told him. She felt horrible for making him go through this, for hurting him, but she couldn't drag this out any longer.

Kate blinked as she felt tears prickling at the corner of her eyes.

"Then what is it you're looking for, Kate?" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to hold it in. His shiny eyes mirrored hers as the words stuck in her throat.

_My partner._

But she couldn't say it. She didn't want to be cruel to Tom, so she settled for looking down and shaking her head in silence, begging him to understand what she couldn't put into words. Looking through the blinds, she saw her team gathering in one of the rooms, ushering Castle in and showing him the collection of beer the boys had stocked up. Even Lanie had joined them since it was already after shift.

Tom followed her gaze and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, I hope he makes you happy, Kate." Tom stepped into her space, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

Kate snagged his arm before he could leave.

"For what it's worth, Tom? I hope you find a great girl, one that makes you happy. You deserve that, and I just- I can't-"

"That's alright, Kate," he took pity on her and cut her off. "It was good while it lasted," he gave her a wry smile, squeezing her hand one last time before walking away.

Kate dropped her head, hating herself for doing this to Tom. She took another minute to gather herself before crossing the room to join the party.

She entered as they laughed at something the Captain said, Castle's boisterous laughter causing her to chuckle along softly as she headed to grab herself a beer.

"Oh, look who's off duty," he teased, eyes twinkling playfully.

Twisting the cap off, Kate replied, "Yeah well Castle I'm not all work."

"Don't get into a drinking contest with her, she can take you," Lanie offered the friendly advice to Castle, for which he thanked her.

Maybe it was her newly single status, or maybe it was because she had been waiting for far too long for Castle to return to the precinct, heck, maybe it was his impending departure spurring her into action, but Kate was feeling a little feisty.

"Oh I don't need to drink to take him," she said, her voice laced with innuendo.

Lanie teased her, but Kate focused on Castle instead, asking him to step out for a private moment.

She shut the door, doing her best to ignore her colleagues who were sure to be speculating back in the room.

"What's up?" he asked easily.

Facing him, she suddenly felt like an awkward teenager again. "Look, I know that I'm not the easiest person to get to know, and… I don't always let on what's on my mind, but this past year, working with you… I've had a really good time."

He smiled encouragingly at her. "Yeah, me too."

This was her partner. This was the Castle she knew and lov- _cherished_. Open and light; always easy and quick to infect those around him with his happiness. It was nice to have him back after the broody version she had gotten the past few days. It gave her the courage to plunge onwards.

"So, uhm, I'm just going to say this, and hope that we're still on the same page here," she smiled up at him as he looked on curiously.

Kate bit her lip, a nervous tick of hers.

"I'll go to the Hamptons with you. I mean, I'm free, if the offer still stands, and I, uhm, I broke up with Demming. So I was thinking that I could go up and spend the weekend with you, and maybe we could work something out for the summer, because I'd still be working and-"

"Richard, you ready?"

Castle struggled to keep the horror off his face as he slowly turned and greeted, "Hey, Gina. Uh, Beckett, you remember Gina, my ex-wife."

* * *

A/N: Don't kill me.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, didn't mean to leave you guys hanging so long! Moving to an apartment in between final exams was a terrible idea. The response to the first chapter was amazing! Thank you for all the favorites, follows, and reviews :)

Thank you Trish for being such an amazeballs beta. The little tweaks here and there made this chapter a gazillion times better!

You guys should definitely go check out her Ficathon entry, Empty Space - s/10375965/1/ (also her first multichap!) and show her some love.

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

* * *

Demming Schlemming. Why was he everywhere? He was in the bullpen that morning, standing _far_ too closely to Beckett, whispering things into her ear which made her giggle. Didn't he know what was workplace appropriate?

Demming dropped by again that evening, stealing her away from work, away from building theory with him. So what if he only pulled Beckett aside for a few minutes? Didn't Demming know that he was messing with the delicate balance of their_ zone_?

Castle tried to remain unaffected when Beckett considered Demming's invitation for a weekend getaway whereas she had shot his offer down, over and over again. He could take a hint. Maybe it was time to move on. It was obvious that Demming had won Beckett over after they closed the case last week, and it felt like each day just reinforced his presence in Beckett's life.

Maybe it would be better to bow out gracefully. Leave while some of his dignity was still intact. It was probably time to put some distance between them and take a break.

Take a step back and reassess this partnership of theirs.

* * *

Castle shared the details of the case with his writer buddies halfway through their third round of poker. "Ukrainians were a nice twist," Connelly said, tossing his poker chip into the main pot.

"So we've explained the money, the gadgets, and the briefcase. The only thing we can't explain - why was he killed?" Castle asked. Maybe they could look at things from a different angle. A table of four authors - heck, one of them had to be able to think of something that would fit the case, right?

"Maybe that's because you're looking in the wrong place."

Castle turned to look at Patterson as he elaborated. The game providing a cover for the killer to act? That sounded promising. Now why didn't he think of that earlier? Sharing the case with his poker buddies had been the right move.

"Personally, I'd spend more time writing and less time hanging out with your cop friend."

Castle raised his eyebrow as Patterson continued ribbing him. He turned to look at the others for support, but Cannell and Connelly were with Patterson on this one.

"She seems like more of a distraction than a muse."

Castle pondered over their words.

What if Beckett really was hindering him as an author? Had he been so caught up with her recently? He hadn't done much writing, sure, but that was because he still hasn't decided which direction to take Naked Heat. Were his days at the precinct taking up too much time?

Truth be told, he hadn't felt all that inspired to write recently. Maybe a change of scenery was in order. Maybe, spending the summer away from New York; apart from Beckett, would be good to him after all.

* * *

Castle's writer buddies left a few hours later. He had begun putting away the poker chips when his phone rang.

Looking at the caller ID, he sighed. Might as well get it over and be done with it.

"Hey Gina," he greeted, forcefully cheery as he picked up the empty glasses off the poker table. Castle dumped them in the sink to soak while he answered Gina, "No, I wasn't avoiding you." Castle cleared his throat to bring his voice to a deeper tone, trying to mask the telltale higher pitch whenever he lied. "We have an active case and things got pretty busy at the precinct. The chapters? Oh yeah, I… I have them right here."

Castle headed towards his study as Gina told him to send them over. Bypassing his laptop, Castle headed into his bedroom instead. "Well that's kind of hard because they're currently in my head. I have them: the plot, the killer, tying up the loose ends and all that, but they're just in my head at the moment." So maybe he was stretching the truth a tad far, but a little white lie never hurt anyone, right?

He walked to his wardrobe and began picking out pajamas as Gina huffed and puffed and threatened him over the phone.

"Oh come on, Gina, you know I can't tell you the plot before I commit to it and write it out - I'll just end up changing my mind," he said in a placating tone. "Don't you remember the sixth Derrick Storm book? I ended up changing the plot more times than I can remember because you wheedled the ending of Storm Rising out of me that weekend in Venice."

Castle smiled at her retort.

"But you _inspired_ me to change the scene again in Rome, and Milan - need I go further?" he teased lightheartedly, recalling their whirlwind honeymoon throughout Europe. "Do you remember the excuses you had to come up with for Black Pawn over your husband's overdue manuscript? I think by the sixth deadline extension - oh God, poor David! Of course I remember his expression! Yeah, that little twitch of his right eye - you know, I don't think I've ever seen - yes, yes, his wife was pregnant at that time!" Castle chuckled as Gina went on about the extended leave David took the following week, and the subsequent stress his assistant had to bear.

"Listen, Rick, I'd love to swap memories of all the past shenanigans we got into, but I have a meeting in the morning."

Castle looked at his watch, realizing that two hours had flown by.

"With David? Have your authors been misbehaving again? Do you think the twitching eye will make an appearance? Think you can take a video for me for old time's sake?" Castle teased.

Gina laughed over the phone. "Just make sure you get the words down and send the chapters to me soon. This was nice," she said.

"Yeah it was," he replied, surprising himself. He honestly had not expected things to go so well with his ex-wife. "Hey, what are you doing this weekend?" The words were tumbling out of his mouth before he realized what he was asking.

Two minutes later, Castle hung up the phone. Looks like he might not be heading up to the Hamptons alone after all.

* * *

Case closed, Alexis dropped off, Gina had confirmed their plans for the Hamptons - all he needed to do now was show up for the surprise farewell party at the precinct. It was sweet of the boys to arrange that. He would definitely miss their ribbing, banter, and easy camaraderie over the summer.

Upon arriving at the precinct, Castle fell in step with the two male detectives, heading into one of the meeting rooms. Bottles of chilled beer sat on the table, and they wasted no time twisting the caps off and clinking their bottles together in celebration. It didn't take long for Captain Montgomery and Lanie to join them. Castle had just finished regaling Alexis' send off when Beckett entered the room. He was immediately aware of her presence, of what could be between them, but the pang of longing no longer stabbed at his heart. She was happy with Demming, and things weren't looking all that bad for him too. This was good.

Beckett headed to grab herself a bottle, and Castle couldn't help but tease her. "Oh, look who's off duty!" He watched as she easily twisted the cap off while replying.

"Yeah well Castle I'm not all work."

Castle looked up at Beckett, surprised to see their banter returning to its easy flow. The teasing and innuendo; the push and pull in the early days of their partnership. Before Demming happened.

"Castle, do you have a second?"

"Of course," he told her easily, pushing back his chair to stand up. He headed out of the room, Beckett following closely behind and shutting the door firmly.

He turned, asking her, "What's up?"

She paused, as if she was unsure of herself but eventually the words came out. Seeing her like that was refreshing - Castle couldn't think of another time when he had seen the detective lost for her words. He had no idea what she wanted to say, but he was in a good mood and was willing to listen patiently as she admitted she had a good time working with him.

Castle wanted to tease her, remind her of how she couldn't stand him in the beginning - that version of Kate Beckett would flip out if she knew how things turned out. Instead, he chose to let his partner off the hook, knowing that this must be hard for her to admit in the first place.

"Yeah, me too." These past few weeks hadn't been his favorite, but on the whole, he had a really wonderful time partnering with Beckett.

"So, uhm, I'm just going to say this, and hope that we're still on the same page here."

He could tell that she was nervous and hopefully Beckett would just come out and say what was on her mind.

"I'll go to the Hamptons with you. I mean, I'm free, if the offer still stands, and I, uhm, I broke up with Demming. So I was thinking that I could go up and spend the weekend with you-"

_Whoa, where was this coming from?_ Castle tried to keep his emotions from showing on his face as she continued rambling on, "-and maybe we could work something out for the summer, because I'd still be working and-"

"Richard, you ready?"

_Oh no. _This couldn't be happening to him. Castle swallowed, turning to see his ex-wife walk up to them.

"Hey, Gina. Uh, Beckett, you remember Gina, my ex-wife," he struggled to keep his voice even, to hide the panic that was coursing through his system.

Gina sauntered up to his side, sticking her hand out to Beckett as she added saucily, "_and_ his publisher."

This wasn't supposed to happen.

This _couldn't_ be happening. His ex-wife and Beckett - his partner who had just admitted to breaking up with her boyfriend to be with him - weren't really shaking hands and exchanging introductions. Gina couldn't have timed her arrival to be at a more inopportune moment.

He watched as Kate's eyes darted from Gina to him, her mouth slightly agape as the next words tumbled out of her mouth. "Yeah, we spoke the other day. Looks like you finally tracked him down."

Castle prayed for a miracle, an intervention; anything would do, really.

"Oh, yeah, he's such a little boy sometimes," Gina said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I don't know why, it's not like I bite," she continued, looking at him.

Oh, but she did-

"Much," Gina added, smiling up at him.

_Shoot me now, just shoot me and end my misery,_ Castle thought. He forced a tight-lipped smile down to his ex-wife, hoping she wouldn't notice the way his body tensed up. He had to say something, _anything_, just- he had to find a way to salvage this situation before Beckett murdered him. Or Gina. Or the both of them.

Gina continued, "We better get going if we want to get to the Hamptons by nightfall or we'd be stuck in traffic and arrive at some ungodly hour."

Forget Dante's nine circles of Hell - Castle was in the tenth circle of Hell, one where his ex-wife drops the bomb that she had taken up the offer his partner now wanted, _after_ she had laid her heart on the line. The same partner who hardly volunteered any personal information; the one who was fiercely protective over her personal life and the one who didn't let many people in.

He had to fix this. He needed a moment alone with Beckett, to explain himself. He needed to let her know that his invitation to Gina had happened _after_ Beckett turned him down. That he thought she would have plans with Demming. That he was completely blindsided by her confession. That he wasn't looking to hurt-

"Well it was nice to finally meet you," Gina said, wrapping an arm around Castle's waist as she tugged him toward the elevator.

His legs fumbled beneath him as his body was forced to go along with Gina. Castle's glance darted around as he turned his head to look back. He finally noticed the rest of the gang had crowded against the door, peering curiously at him through the glass panel and were waving goodbye.

His hand instinctively rose to return the gesture, waving weakly at them as his eyes sought to catch Beckett's.

This was all wrong - he couldn't leave while things were so messy between them, but he couldn't leave Gina hanging either. He felt obligated to hold up his invitation as it was the gentlemanly thing to do. It wouldn't be fair to ditch Gina. Besides, she was completely oblivious to what had just happened between him and Beckett.

Gina had already pressed the elevator button when his throat finally worked.

His voice cracked as he choked out "Kate!" forcing her to look up at him.

Castle tried to convey his turmoil through his eyes, hoping that she could read them from that distance. His desperation leaked into his voice, tainting it with his remorseful plea as Gina tugged him into the elevator.

"Call me or- or I'll call you. Just don't…"

The elevator doors shut before he could finish the rest of his sentence

* * *

A/N: We're in for an angsty ride! The next few chapters will really start moving the story forward.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the long wait between chapters, I honestly don't have a good excuse besides real life being uncooperative. Thanks again Trish for making my words work! R&R :)

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

* * *

Castle was gone.

Kate couldn't believe that he had left.

He actually left with his ex-wife.

To the friggin' Hamptons.

Castle had told her to call him, or that he'd call her, but Kate couldn't see that happening. He'd be too busy with Gina. Blonde, successful, smart – she'd probably snatched up Castle's offer the moment it came along.

Beckett continued staring at the elevator doors long after they had closed, thinking over his last words as the door shut. "Just don't-"

Just don't what?

A light tap on the door sounded from her left and Beckett turned her head toward the source of the noise. It was Lanie, looking at her with a questioning gaze.

Oh crap.

Kate had been so involved with Castle that she had completely forgotten about her colleagues in the other room. She can feel her face heat up in recognition that they had had an audience the whole time. It was extremely embarrassing to be caught like a schoolgirl harboring a huge crush toward the funniest kid on the playground.

She glanced back at the elevator once more, considering if she should make a mad dash after Castle and demand an explanation from him. After all, she has already embarrassed herself, maybe it would be better to get some closure out of this mess? Deal with the humiliation all at once - just like ripping off a band-aid.

"I know that look on your face, girl, and I can tell you it's a bad idea."

Kate flushed guiltily at having been caught. She didn't realize her thoughts were so transparent. "Wha- I have no idea what you're talking about Lanie."

Lanie rolled her eyes, stepping out of the room to join Kate. "You're thinking of running after Writer Boy and Little Miss Blondie. Tell me I'm wrong?"

Kate crossed her arms defensively over her chest as she answered, "So what if I am?"

The medical examiner looped her arm through Kate's, tugging her back towards the room and let out a pent up breath. "I'm all for you finally taking action, but are you sure you want to do it with Gina hanging on his arm? Don't drag her into this, Kate. C'mon, we're almost done with the drinks. Have another beer, go home and sleep on it before you go making any rash decisions."

Kate reluctantly returned to the room with Lanie, hoping the boys would let her off easy. It was bad enough that her underlings had witnessed her tanking miserably, but to have her captain there as well? He must be disappointed in her. Youngest woman to make detective and what did she do? Allowed herself to act just as flighty as one of Castle's regular bimbos, swooning and practically throwing herself at the man.

She dug in her heels, bringing Lanie to a jolting halt.

"I can't- Oh god, Lanie, the Captain and the boys, they saw- I can't go in there!"

Lanie rolled her eyes at Kate. "Girl, what's gotten into you? They won't give you flack over this or they'd be answering to me. Besides, you work here, remember? Kinda impossible for you to avoid your team and Captain forever. So get your skinny ass in there and have a beer."

Lanie was right. If she were to react foolishly, it would just blow things out of proportion. Her best friend pulled on her arm once again, and this time Kate went along willingly.

"Here," Ryan offered her a fresh bottle of beer gruffly, showing some sympathy toward his boss.

Kate grabbed it, giving him a wordless nod of thanks as Lanie pulled out a chair next to Esposito, and began to strike up a conversation, asking about his cousin who had just been drafted into the military.

Soon, the conversation began to flow again and Kate could safely put her worries behind.

* * *

The party began to break up, with Captain Montgomery being the first to leave. Ryan started picking up the trash and collecting the empty beer bottles to dispose of on his way out. Esposito and Lanie were deep in conversation in the corner, so Kate took the opportunity to collect her purse and make a quick exit.

Kate stepped into the elevator, all too eager to go home and call it a day. She leaned against the wall tiredly as she rode the elevator down, wondering how she had gotten into that situation with Castle. The elevator chimed prematurely and Kate bit back a groan. She lifted her head off the elevator wall, determined to maintain at least a modicum of dignity and presentability around her workplace.

The door slid open, revealing Tom.

He started into the elevator, but came to an abrupt halt when he realized Kate was the sole occupant.

"Err, I- Well, this is-" Tom hesitated at the threshold as his cheeks flushed pink.

The doors began to close, and Kate instinctively jabbed at the button to keep it open.

"Oh come on in, Tom. We don't have to- I mean, it's just an elevator and we both work in the same building. We can't avoid each other forever and it's just not practical anyway."

He quickly stepped into the elevator, nodding at her as he stood on the other side of the elevator. They both stared ahead as the doors slowly slid shut. Kate snuck a sideway glance at him - after all, the elevator wasn't exactly large and there wasn't much else to do as it resumed it's slow descend to the basement.

"You heading straight out?" Kate asked, gesturing at the weekend bag he was holding. Of all the things she could have asked him, she had to go straight for the elephant in the room. She should have just kept her mouth shut and let the silence play out.

Good going there, Kate. She hadn't meant to rub it in, but her mind panicked and settled on the first thing to talk about.

"Yeah, I had already made the reservations and applied for leave - no point in wasting the weekend, right?" he replied. A few awkward seconds passed, before he asked her, "So, uh, where's Writer Boy?"

Kate winced, turning to face him. _Guess I deserved that,_ she thought. She was surprised to see his face devoid of malice. She shrugged, humming nonchalantly instead of verbally forming a reply. Could this elevator ride take any longer?

"I'm uh, I'm sorry, that came out wrong," he apologized as the elevator chimed and the doors finally, finally opened to the basement. He gestured for her to step out first.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she told him, playing with her keys as he followed her out. He sounded genuine enough, but Kate didn't want his pity. After all, she had brought this upon herself.

"You heading home?" he asked.

Kate suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. He really didn't have to try so hard at keeping up a conversation. Sometimes he was polite to a fault. She tried to keep a civil tone when replying him; after all he wasn't responsible for her current crappy mood even if her patience quota for the day had practically been depleted.

"Yeah. Drive safe, and have a good weekend." She gave him a tight smile and prepared to head off. Hopefully that was the last of it.

"Hey Kate?" Tom called out.

She paused in her tracks, thinking, _Now what?_

She barely turned around, asking, "Yeah?"

"Do you want to go grab a coffee? I mean, like, one last drink?"

Oh dear. He couldn't possibly still hold out hope for their relationship, right? Just because things didn't work out with Castle didn't mean that she was going to go running back to his side.

How was she going to put this politely to him but still get the message across?

The second set of elevator doors opened right at that moment, saving Kate from having to answer him. Esposito and Lanie came out arm in arm, stopping short when they saw Kate and Tom. Lanie was the first to recover, shooting Kate a _look_ that spoke volumes. "Good night Kate, Tom," she said, tugging Esposito along.

Kate merely returned an arched look at her best friend. Guess it only took a few bottles of beer for Esposito to finally man up and ask her out.

"Good night Lanie, Espo," she replied, watching them walk away quickly. Yeah, there was definitely something going on between those two. Kate eventually turned back to face Tom, contemplating on just how to best form her reply.

"Not like a date or anything. I just thought that you could use a friend or something. If, you know, you want to talk about your day. Just coffee, or drinks, whatever."

She gave him a tired smile. "I know you mean well, Tom, but I think it's best if I just head home. I already had a few drinks earlier with my team. Thanks for the offer though."

Tom nodded goodbye, appearing to have finally received the message loud and clear, and headed off alone.

* * *

Kate toed off her shoes by the front door as she slid the deadbolt into place. Sinking down a good four inches, she dragged her tired body into the bedroom. She dropped her purse by the dresser and began unbuttoning her slacks, leaving them in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her white button down joined it shortly after, leaving Kate clad only in her underwear as she took off the necklace with her mother's ring on it and set it in the wooden jewelry box.

If only her mom was here. Johanna would have jumped at the opportunity to get Kate together with her favorite author. Or at the very least, Kate would have someone to talk to, someone who could _make_ her listen to advice. Then maybe Kate wouldn't be in this mess right now.

But there was no point wallowing in regret.

Kate stepped into the shower, setting it to the coldest temperature. The icy spray hit her body, washing away the buzz from the earlier drinks along with the grime of the day and she stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed.

How could Castle move on so quickly? How serious was this thing with Gina anyway? Maybe he was just trying to salvage his reputation. After all, if the boys had been teasing him earlier, he might have chosen to retaliate by bringing his ex-wife to the precinct. Show off some arm candy.

That's it!

Maybe he had made some sort of deal with Gina? He had been dodging her calls - as publisher - for days. And there were reasons she was his ex-wife. Surely they couldn't have worked out all their differences in just a few small hours? Maybe she had agreed to help him in return for some chapters.

Kate smiled as she climbed in to bed. Maybe she still had a chance with Castle after all! She had already told him of her intentions to join him in the Hamptons. Captain Montgomery had already approved her three-day leave. Maybe what he needed was for her to show up at the Hamptons and back up her words with actual actions. Then he'd take her seriously.

But what if Castle and Gina really were on good terms again? Could Kate bear to live down her humiliation _twice_?

Kate wracked her brain trying to recall all the small details of their earlier interaction. Castle's body language had seemed open and inviting at the farewell party. Besides, he blanched when Gina showed up so that was a good sign, right? If Kate remembered correctly, Gina had done most of the talking, so Castle wasn't an active participant in that last conversation. That was good, right? He hadn't exactly sided with Gina, only passively allowed her to dictate things to her liking.

But if he hadn't wanted to go up to the Hamptons with his ex-wife, then why didn't Castle say something or do something? Surely if he dug in his heels and refused to be tugged away by Gina there would be nothing she could do about it.

Creases marred her forehead as Kate frowned in frustration. Her brain was looking at both sides of the situation and the rapid pace of jumping back and forth between the two was beginning to give her a headache.

But then again, if he really was done with her, why would Castle tell Kate to call him? She glanced at her bedside table and stared at her cell phone's darkened screen. Her hand snatched it up and clicked on the home button. Had she missed a call or text from him? Perhaps there was some kind of an explanation waiting for her.

There weren't any new notifications waiting for her, just the clock display staring back at her from her iPhone. Disappointed, Kate pressed the sleep/wake button and her screen turned black once more.

Maybe she should call him instead?

Her thumb moved to hover over the home button once more.

Would he even be in the Hamptons by now? Surely his journey would take much shorter if he was taking the Ferrari. Kate tried to tamp down her jealousy as she thought of Gina in the passenger seat, taking what was supposed to be her place.

What if he was still in the car with Gina? That would make things rather uncomfortable for them. Castle wouldn't be able to speak freely and being the gentleman that he is, he would surely try to keep from intentionally hurting Gina.

No, this was probably a conversation that was best carried out face to face. Maybe she could look up his Hamptons address and drive up there in the morning.

A small, rational part of Kate protested that it was a terrible idea - too many things could go wrong - but the headstrong side silenced those thoughts.

Castle would be touched by her actions. He would see how serious she was about this. He would appreciate her efforts.

They would be able to sort out this mess in no time.

She just had to remain positive; think positive thoughts.

Plugging in her charger, Kate returned her phone to the bedside table. She double-checked the ringer volume, not wanting to miss any calls because it might be important. The selfish part of her admitted that she hoped Castle would call her tonight.

Leaning against her headboard, Kate began to plan. She could throw together a weekend bag in the morning, and maybe give him a heads up in the form of a text telling him she was on her way to the Hamptons once she got on the freeway.

It had taken her some time to finally get to this point, but now that Kate Beckett knew what (or more specifically, whom) she wanted, she was determined to chase him down. She wasn't about to let Gina suddenly come in and swoop Castle away.

With a semi-solid plan in place for the morning, Kate finally turned out the lights and went to sleep. She couldn't wait for the morning to arrive.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you Trish for the beta work. Any lingering mistakes are all mine. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

"What was that about?" Gina asked, placing a palm on his chest as the elevator doors slid shut.

"Nothing, just- Beckett told me something just now and she surprised me, that's all," he said, hoping that the thudding within his chest was just imaginary.

"You sure? Your heart rate's a little peaked. Or are you just excited for our summer?" She smiled up at him, only turning to look ahead as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

He was supposed to enjoy himself this summer.

He shouldn't have to feel guilty over his plans. After all, Beckett was the one who had a boyfriend. She was clearly unavailable and uninterested in his advances throughout the duration of their partnership. How was he to know that she would break up with Demming?

The elevator doors opened to the ground floor and they stepped out.

"I went by the loft to pick up your bag and the Ferrari like you asked. Here, Rick," she said, holding out the keys, "We're good to go, right?"

"Yup," he said, snagging the keys that were dangling in front of him.

Beckett never let him drive, but Beckett wasn't here. Beckett wasn't going to the Hamptons with him; Gina was. And Gina was uncomplicated and didn't send him mixed signals.

Gina let him drive.

Castle followed her out onto the streets to where she had parked his car. He unlocked the car with a press of a button, opening the car door for her before heading for the driver's side.

He was heading up to the Hamptons with Gina and didn't have time to think about Beckett. Time to put her out of his mind and focus on the woman who _was_ with him.

* * *

"So then I told him, the revenue speaks for itself and if he doesn't give me the cut that we're asking, we'll shut it down and pass the word through the industry. He backed down immediately – you should have seen him, Rick, ahh," Gina exhaled, sinking against the passenger seat of his Ferrari as her eyes shone brightly, a result of her getting worked up.

She turned to look at his profile, smiling as she concluded, "I love my job."

Castle turned his head slightly to look at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled back at her. He reached for her right hand with his left, their fingers interlocking as he brought their hands closer to kiss the back of her hand.

Gina brought their hands to rest on the armrest between them as she looked at him quietly.

A few silent minutes passed before she squeezed his hand to get his attention.

"Rick," she said, her tone carefully neutral. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

He carefully schooled his features. "Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?"

Gina paused. It seemed to Castle that's she's unsure of herself, something he hasn't seen since before the divorce, and such a contrast from her normally assertive manner.

"Is it- Has it got anything to do with Alexis?"

That explained it. Gina never had a problem voicing her opinion or making a decision, except whenever Alexis was involved.

Rick wondered how long that question had been lingering in the back of her mind – probably brewing for at least the past half an hour or so – before she bit the bullet and came out with her question.

"It's not that," he began telling her, but Gina quickly jumped in.

"Look, I know that we never really discuss Alexis, I mean, I've never wanted to come between the two of you, but I want you to know I'm here for you. I won't presume to make any decisions for you, but I'm willing to listen to your problems or maybe help with your decision making process? I'm not her mother, but, she was my step-daughter for a while, and even though we weren't close, I think this summer program would really make Alexis happy and be good for her."

Castle suddenly felt slightly guilty.

Meredith's flighty departure had probably made him overly protective and a tad bit possessive when it came to Alexis. Upon their divorce, Gina admitted to feeling like she was always on the outside whenever it came to this aspect of their family, and that she had always second-guessed herself whenever Alexis was involved.

He felt bad that these insecurities remained even after so many years.

"No, no, Gina, it's not Alexis," he quickly told her. Then a beat later, he added, "And, you don't- I… appreciate what you're trying to do. I never mean to keep you out whenever Alexis is involved, not intentionally, you know that, right?"

Gina hummed, and Castle hoped that was enough to appease her. For now.

"There's a gas station coming up," he continued, changing topics before the mood sours. "Think I'll fill up the tank while you grab us some snacks?"

"Okay, Rick. Think it'll be good to stretch our legs for a bit anyway," she replied, pulling her hand out from underneath his.

She fiddled with her phone, but doesn't rejoin her hand to his even after putting it away. Castle waited another second before casually moving his free hand back to grasp the steering wheel.

He couldn't blame her for being disappointed or mad at him. Gina had probably expected him to reciprocate and open up to her – she deserved it after voicing her insecurities.

Castle just wasn't feeling very sociable at the moment.

* * *

Castle grabbed the nozzle for premium gas to fill the tank. He could see Gina through the well-lit store window, making the most of their short respite and stocking up on supplies. The gas station wasn't very large, but two of its overhead lights had gone out, resulting in the outdoor area with the gas pumps being dimly lit. Castle decided to stretch his legs as he waited for the tank to fill, and wandered off a little ways.

Maybe he should call Beckett – just check in with her to see how she was faring. Hopefully she wouldn't be too mad at him and ignore his call outright.

Castle pulled out his phone and brought up his contacts list. He stared at her name, wondering if it really was a good idea to call her after all. He didn't have much time, certainly not enough to give her a decent explanation. Would that just cause even more misunderstanding between them?

He hit the back button lest his thumb accidentally tapped the screen and put the call through. Maybe he could check in with Esposito instead. Scrolling rapidly through his phone book, he quickly located Esposito's number.

"Castle?"

"Hey. Esposito," he greeted, "Now a good time?"

Looking back into the shop, Castle noticed Gina heading to the cashier. Not that he was intentionally hiding this conversation from her, but his summer would definitely go by more smoothly if she didn't have cause to start asking questions.

"Eh, what do you want, Castle?" Esposito got straight to the point, in this instance working out in Castle's favor.

"Nothing, it's just, I kind of left in a hurry just now and uh, sorry for leaving you guys to clean up after."

Esposito chuckled, telling him, "Just loan us your Ferrari for a weekend each when you're back in town and we'll call it even."

Castle heard some murmurs in the background coming from Esposito's side of the line, then a soft, "Nothing…'s just Castle."

If Esposito had someone there with him then he should wrap this up quickly. "So, uh, you guys finish the rest of the drinks? No one got too drunk, right?"

"Man, you high tailed out of the place so quickly I'm surprised you even remember us," the detective teased him.

"Yeah well," Castle gave a low chuckle, "Gina was eager to get on the road. But, uh, did everyone get home in one piece? Did Beckett get home safely?"

Esposito mumbled something indistinct. He had probably covered the mouthpiece as he talked to whoever was there with him - Castle had a fleeting moment of panic as he wondered if it was Beckett but nah, couldn't be - before Esposito came back on the line, sounding distracted.

"Uh listen, Castle, I gotta go, but don't worry 'bout Beckett. I saw her with Demming in the basement. Enjoy your time off bro."

The line clicks as Esposito hung up, leaving Castle rooted to the spot.

Beckett with Demming? Hadn't Beckett just told him they'd broken up?

Had Gina's arrival driven her back into Demming's arms? Or had she gotten back with Demming now that he was unavailable? What did that say about her?

Castle fumed silently, feeling like a used toy.

He couldn't believe that he felt bad for leaving her hanging; for Gina's arrival blind-siding her. Heck, if she could go back to Demming so quickly, all the stomach churning anxiety and guilt he had felt was unnecessary.

Here he was, worried she might be angry at him! Clearly, he was the last thing on her mind.

Gina exited the store, heading back to the Ferrari. Pocketing his phone, Castle too, headed for his car. He returned the nozzle to its holder before screwing on the cap to the gas tank.

They entered the car in unison, settling into the comfortable seats and buckling on their seat belts. Gina stared at him for a couple seconds, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Everything alright?" she asked.

Castle answered shortly, "It is now." He was determined to stop letting Beckett get between him and his happiness.

He could see Gina raise an eyebrow in disbelief, even in the dim light and Castle strengthened his resolve to banish all thoughts of the detective from his mind.

"It will be," he corrected, this time giving her a genuine smile.

* * *

A/N: Review? :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you Trish for the speedy beta. All mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

* * *

Kate woke up well before her alarm was due to go off. Deciding to make the most of her extra time, she settled on doing a yoga routine, slightly longer and more complex than her regular one. By the time she was finished, Kate had worked up a good sweat and the timer on her coffee machine had kicked in.

The shower spray felt therapeutic, the hot water warming and massaging her yoga-loosened muscles. By the time she stepped out, the smell of brewing coffee had permeated throughout her small apartment. That was incentive enough for Kate to quickly throw on a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans, leaving her damp hair wrapped up in a makeshift towel turban. Her cup of coffee was beckoning.

Kate savored her cup of coffee, absentmindedly checking her mail and messages at the same time. With nothing requiring her immediate attention, she wandered back into her bedroom, tossing the wet towel into the hamper. Since she wasn't on duty, her hair could afford to air dry naturally.

She reached under her bed to pull out her old leather overnight bag which had been worn soft by use. She had bought the bag sometime after getting her Harley Softail. It had special straps that could attach to the passenger backrest and blinkers on her bike. She planned to ride out to the Hamptons, which would allow her to zip through the clog of city traffic and get her there much faster.

Unzipping the travel bag, she then dumped it onto her bed before heading for her wardrobe. Kate packed lightly, bringing a few versatile outfits, a dress, swimwear, flip-flops and a pair of heels. Her toiletries were thrown into a smaller bag and her charger went into a side compartment. Kate double checked that she had packed everything that she would need, and, satisfied, zipped up the bag.

Her hair was practically dry by now, so Kate quickly finger combed it in front of her vanity table, whilst putting the chain holding her mom's ring around her neck. She then strapped on her father's watch, its familiar weight around her wrist grounding her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.

"What are you doing, Kate?"

Her cell phone buzzed at that moment and Kate hurriedly pulled it out from her jeans pocket. It was only a text from Lanie.

_Your boy called Javi last night asking 'bout you. Dish, girl._

Kate bit her lip to stop a full blown grin. Castle called Javi last night. He still cared! If this wasn't a good omen, she didn't know what was!

She typed a quick reply to Lanie.

_Nothing to dish. Yet. _

There, that should appease her best friend for the time being.

Striding across the room, Kate picked out one of her comfortable leather riding jackets and shrugged it on. Picking up her travel bag, she gave the room a quick once over.

"Here goes nothing."

* * *

Her plan was simple. Slip into the precinct, get Castle's Hamptons address – it might not be entirely legal, but just this once Kate was willing to bend the rules – and slip out of the precinct with no one the wiser.

The first part went by without a hitch. Kate nodded to a few of her colleagues in passing, but Ryan and Esposito weren't at their desks so she didn't have to worry about their inquisitive questions. Wasting no time, she booted up her computer and typed in Castle's name. Skimming through his details, she quickly located his Hamptons address. In no time, she had jotted down the address onto a small piece of paper and stuffed it into her back pocket.

She was heading for the elevators when Detective Ashburn from Robbery came through the door to the stairwell. "Captain needs everyone who's not on an active case down on the second floor."

"Why? What's going on?" Kate asked.

Two other detectives and some uniforms came over, looking curiously at Ashburn too.

"Not sure. All I know is DHS came in a while ago and it's now all hands on deck." The small group started heading for the stairwell – taking the stairs was faster – but Kate lingered in front of the elevator, feeling torn.

"Beckett do you have an ongoing case?" Ashburn asked, holding the stairwell door open.

Technically, she wasn't working at the moment, but things were normally pretty serious if the Department of Homeland Security was involved. They could use all the help available.

"No," she hesitated, "but I'm not-"

"Then come on, we need all the manpower we can get." He cut her off mid sentence, gesturing for her to follow him.

Looks like Castle and the Hamptons would have to wait.

* * *

They were given a quick briefing – there had been a robbery at a security firm last night and the floor plans for three shopping centers and two arenas were stolen. The robbers left behind a note: "Have an explosive Memorial weekend". DHS was quickly notified and an elite team was put together to track the persons responsible, but the NYPD could use the help of all it's officers with manning the tip lines and going through heavy chunks of information.

Everyone was promptly delegated to different teams working from various angles with a common goal in mind. They had less than 48 hours on the clock.

It didn't take long for Kate to get caught up with her task, leaving thoughts of Castle behind.

* * *

They finally caught the group responsible for the robbery and threat the next evening, and their team leader took them out for celebratory drinks.

Everyone was in high spirits – their team's breakthrough had helped with locating the bad guys, and their glasses of chilled beers kept flowing. The team were a mixture of cops from different departments with Kate being the only one from Homicide. Davis and Leigh were from Vice, Scott and James from Robbery; and it didn't take long for them to start comparing all the bizarre cases they've worked throughout their time spent on the force.

Scott had just finished a story involving a pet duck and stolen picture frames when Davis stood up, offering to take the order for their final round of drinks. James went with him to help with the drinks, leaving Kate, Scott and Leigh at the table.

Leigh tapped her arm, asking, "You've got that author following you around, right?"

Kate finished her drink before answering the other cop. "Yup, Castle," she clarified, "but he's up at the Hamptons for the summer at the moment."

The other cops chuckled at her wry tone, rolling their eyes.

"So he rubs shoulders with Upper East Siders and the likes?"

Kate shrugs nonchalantly, "I guess they run in similar circles. He goes out to dinner with friends and business associates and occasionally attends charity galas or fundraisers. Why do you ask?"

Leigh looked her up and down before leaning in conspiratorially.

"Well… My partner just got assigned this case…"

* * *

A/N: Don't kill me just yet. Kate will get to the Hamptons, I promise! Just need you guys to be a liiiiiiiittle bit more patient with me. Thank you for reading :) I would love to hear your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you so much for 100 reviews! You won't believe how ridiculously happy I get each time I receive a new PM/review. Hugs for everybody! As usual, Thank you Trish for the beta! All mistakes are mine.

DIsclaimer: not mine.

* * *

A week had gone by with Gina in the Hamptons and Castle was beginning to see a familiar pattern developing. He was loathe to admit that it was a holding pattern. One that he didn't like very much.

For the first few days, he had woken up next to Gina. After some… _morning activities_, they would lie in bed and just talk. The talking was good, allowing them to reconnect and find out what the other had been up to in the recent years.

But then Gina would get antsy. She hadn't earnt her reputation in the publishing industry by lazing in bed all morning. Even in the Hamptons she tried to keep to her hectic work schedule.

At the start, she used to kiss him and promise to return after a quick phone call before exiting the bedroom to begin her round of calls. The phone calls never ended though and Castle eventually got tired of waiting for Gina and decided to get up and find her sitting at the breakfast table.

The past few days, however, he'd been waking up to an empty bed because Gina had wanted to get a head start on her day. It was a little too reminiscent of his days being married to her.

She would be at Black Pawn or out meeting clients all day while he stayed home with Alexis or write whenever he could. She would get home late, and they'd spend, no, _waste_ all their time together quarrelling.

Castle did _not _want a repeat of that.

Within minutes of clearing the breakfast table, she would find one way or another to get him to his laptop. He owed her chapters.

Castle had tried to convince Gina to go for a romantic stroll along the beach with him but quickly learned that Gina's heels were _not_ meant for walking along the beach. He offered to carry her shoes, but then Gina complained of the shells that would poke at the soles of her feet. Suffice to say, Castle had put an end to those walks even though he loved nothing better than the scrunch of the fine sand between his toes and underneath his feet.

And so, he wrote. He wrote when the words came; he wrote when the words didn't come. He hated writing for the sake of writing, but he didn't have much of a choice under Gina's watchful eye. He would end up deleting hundreds of words later, finding only a line here or there that was salvageable.

But clicking away on his laptop made Gina happy, so that was what he did.

He talked to her about Nikki - it was nice to have a sounding board; to get instant feedback - but it wasn't enough. He needed to tinker; to get out and about, overwhelm his senses as his brain muddled through words until he found the right ones. With his senses dulled to a certain level, his surroundings began to fade to a background buzz. That was when he could delve into his memories and begin writing. Only then could he do his best writing, the ones that were normally print worthy. Gina was all about the discipline and it was beginning to make Castle feel edgy. Some days, she would go in to town to run some errands in the afternoon and Castle would be secretly happy for the respite. He also suspected that she was secretly relieved to be able to go out and interact with other people as well.

Whenever she returned to find him _not_ writing, which happened more often than not, she would encourage- no, _nag_ him to write a little more before calling it a day. The past few times this had resulted in a fight

Sometimes he wished Gina would be his girlfriend first, publisher second.

They would then spend some time apart, each holing up in a different corner of his large mansion as they cooled off. By the time the sun begin its dip into the horizon, either Castle or Gina would go find the other, with apologies and promises to do better tumbling from their lips.

After kissing and making up, it was time to get ready for their night out socializing. Most of the inhabitants along this stretch of the beach had been there for years - practically everyone knew everyone - and they would all take turns hosting dinner parties. On the nights when there wasn't anything planned Rick and Gina would more often than not, find themselves going into town for a romantic dinner for two.

He would spend the whole day _not_ thinking of a certain partner of his.

* * *

Tonight, Castle had stayed home to cook dinner for the both of them. He had booked Gina a full day package at the spa – he wanted to do something nice for her, to give her a treat. A small voice in his head said that he was just trying to get her away so the two of them wouldn't end up fighting instead but Castle stubbornly silenced that voice.

Gina loved Japanese food, so Castle had gone out to buy the necessary ingredients while she was at the spa. He labored for hours, slicing the sashimi, making different sushi's and frying the tempura. He laid everything out nicely, taking his time with the presentation. Anything that wasn't deemed perfect didn't make it on to the dinner table. Satisfied, he hurried off to take a quick shower before Gina returned. He had hoped to call her to check if she was on her way home, but his battery had died the previous night and he still hasn't charged it. Not many people contacted him while he was on summer break anyway.

When he was done, Castle sprayed on some cologne and headed for the closet, trying to remember which of his shirts was Gina's favorite.

"Rick? I'm back," Gina announced, making her way into the house.

"Come to the bedroom, I'll be with you in a sec," he called out, scrambling to put on his shirt. Hopefully Gina would head straight to the bedroom, bypassing the dining room and the dinner he had prepared. He wanted to see her face when she saw the feast he had prepared specially for her.

Gina headed to the bedroom, stopping to check on the study. The lights were turned off but she saw his laptop sitting on the desk. Walking over, Gina placed a hand on top of the laptop. It was completely cool to the touch. She couldn't help the short stab of disappointment. She had hoped that he would be writing while she was at the spa. Deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt, she thought, _maybe he did some writing earlier in the day._ It was doubtful, but a girl can hope.

Gina exited the study, continuing to make her way to the bedroom.

"There you are!" Castle greeted her with a quick kiss, taking her purse from her and putting it aside. He tugged her along excitedly, saying, "Come on, are you hungry? I've made dinner. It's a good thing you got home before it started raining, some of those clouds look nasty. How was the spa? Was it good?"

Gina laughed happily at how infectiously excited Castle was, allowing him to lead her to the dining room as she answered his questions.

"The spa was great, Rick. What's for dinner? It's not _just _deserts, is it? That's not why you're so excited, right?"

He turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders right before they reached the threshold, bringing her to a complete halt. "Okay, I need you to close your eyes. It's a surprise, and I want you to be standing at the perfect spot when you open them."

Gina looked at him suspiciously

"You trust me, don't you?" He looked at her with his baby blue eyes, an innocent smile gracing his face.

Gina sincerely hoped this wasn't one of his childish pranks. She made a show of shutting her eyes and peeking at him playfully, until he made her cover her eyes with her hands.

Satisfied at last, he held her by the shoulders once more, slowly guiding her into the dining room. He led her to the centre of the table, so that when her eyes opened, she would be able to take in the whole feast.

"Okay, now open them," he murmured at last, pulling her hands down gently. She blinked a few times before her eyes opened all the way.

"Rick, I- Wow, it's amazing," she breathed, walking closer to the table to look at the items individually. She turned back to face him, asking incredulously, "You did this? Rick you shouldn't have- It must've taken all day!"

He shrugged sheepishly, blushing a little.

"You like it?" The words came out hesitantly. He couldn't get a read on her. Did he overdo it? He didn't want to come off as an overly romantic sap. Overkill, Castle, Overkill. Abort mission and get out of-

Gina kissed him soundly on the lips, cutting off all errant thoughts.

"Rick, I _love_ it. This is the sweetest thing you've ever done! Today is definitely the best day of our summer so far. First the spa and now this? The cherry on top of the cake would be the manuscript of Naked Heat ready to go to the editors," she joked.

Castle pulled back from her, frowning. Why couldn't she just appreciate what he did for her? Why does it always have to be _more_?

"Can't we leave Nikki out of it for just one day?" his tone was more biting than he had intended, and he could see Gina recoil in shock. Hurt and confusion clouded her gaze and Castle could see her trying to figure out the sudden change in his mood.

"Rick?"

He turned away from her, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Outside, the thunder rumbled, mirroring the storm that was building up within Castle. "Why is it so hard for you to just say 'Thank you' and leave it at that? Can't you just put your job away for a day? God, this is like our marriage all over again!"

The blood drained from Gina's face as he hurled his angry words at her in a fit of passion. She clenched her fists till they shook, her nails digging into her palms and forming small crescent indents.

"What, you want me to apologize? Fine, I'm sorry okay! It was just a slip of tongue, jeez. Why do you always have to assume the worst of me? It's forever a slippery slope, isn't it? No matter how hard I try, Rick, you're always there, ready to pounce on me the moment I mess up."

"I'm the one ready to pounce on you?" he asked, his tone shrill as disbelief marred his features. Still staring at her with wide eyes, he flung his arms open, pointing at her accusingly as he continued. "_You're_ the one who's forever breathing down my neck! I can't even scratch my back without you bugging me to write. Everything we talk about comes back to Nikki."

Gina propped her hands on her hips, looking at him accusingly.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Excuse me?" Castle transferred his weight onto his back foot, crossing his arms across his chest defensively.

"What the hell am I supposed to talk about, Rick? All you talk about is Kate this and Kate that-"

He shouldn't cut her off mid sentence, it was extremely rude and he knew it, but he wasn't about to let Gina steamroll over him. "But… It's all _Nikki_. I thought you'd be happy with me working on the book! But there's just no pleasing you, is there?"

Gina sagged in defeat. "Nikki, Kate - they're both the same to you! Am I happy that your muse is on your mind all the time? Yes, as your publisher, I'm ecstatic. But as your girlfriend? Rick, how am I supposed to compete with that?!"

Castle rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. This conversation felt like déjà vu, only this time, instead of competing with Alexis, Gina had it in her head that she had to compete with Nikki/Kate.

"Gina, I'm with _you_. Not Kate, not Nikki. I talk about Nikki because she's always on my mind, because I _created_ her and because I'm writing her story. Gina, she's not even _real!_"

Although she seemed to be ruthless at her job and never lacking confidence, Rick could see that Gina had a lot of insecurities when it came to her personal life and relationships.

"But Kate is!" she retorted angrily.

The sushi lay forgotten on the table as Castle walked over to join Gina once more, reaching for her hands. Holding them within his, he told her in slow and clear words, "Gina, you don't have to compete with anyone."

She sighed, pulling her hands free from his grasp. "Rick, this just… it's not working, is it?"

Her proud posture and tall bearing was absent – like she had already thrown in the towel and admitted defeat.

"Gina, I…"

"No, Rick, I mean, we're not good at this. Our divorce was proof enough, wasn't it? We're not good at juggling work and personal life. That phone call a week ago, that was nice, but it's not enough to sustain a relationship. Look at us! Maybe the distance was good for us. The longer we're in each other's company, the more we argue. I don't want to go through that again, Rick. It just- I won't let you suck all the energy out of me. That's what our marriage was - this, this _parasite_ that was just leeching at both our lives! Why would this time be any different from our marriage?"

"Well for starters, Alexis is all grown up now. We won't be arguing over her anymore," he tried going for a lighter topic to diffuse the situation.

"Oh no, instead of competing with your daughter for your attention and time, now I have to compete with a fictional character and her very real, non fictional counterpart. It's so much nicer competing against _two women_ instead of a little girl! Yeah, this relationship isn't doomed at all," she retorted sarcastically.

Castle was beginning to develop a headache. She just wouldn't let go of that, would she? Gina was like a dog with a bone. A very stubborn dog. How was he supposed to make her see things clearly?

"Gina, you don't have to worry about Kate! I'm just shadowing her for my books because that's how I make a living. You have _nothing_ to worry about. We just have to test the waters until we strike the right balance between work and our personal relationship."

His words held no sway over her – she was already immune to his fancy notions that always sounded better in theory. "Easier said than done, Rick. Look-"

The chiming of the doorbell interrupted her before Gina could finish her sentence. They both looked at each other in bewilderment, silently asking if the other was expecting company. It chimed two more times in quick succession. They shrugged at each other before Castle offered to go and check it out. Gina pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. So much for the spa treatment - this argument with Castle had left her whole body wound on edge once more.

Castle quickly massaged his head and rolled his shoulders as he made his way to the front door in an effort to release some pent up tension. He belatedly realized that it had begun raining outside. All his efforts in the day preparing the sushi had gone straight down the drain. All because of a petty - okay, this had been a rather ugly, argument with Gina.

His efforts to calm his body down from their fight was all for naught though as his blood rushed back to his head when he swung the door open.

"Beckett?"

* * *

A/N: Nahhhhhhhh! :D I was planning to stick to a 2-chapters-per-week schedule but I'm off for a short holiday so I'll update if/when possible. Now go click on that review button (you know you want to!) ;)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm back (for a while anyway) :) Sorry for the delay but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all the reviews in the previous chapter! As usual, thank you Trish for the beta work. I added some last minute changes, so any mistakes you guys catch are all mine.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

True to her word, Leigh, the Vice Detective, called Kate on her cell the next day.

"Hey Beckett, how's that head?" she greeted cheerily.

Kate chuckled, answering honestly. "It's still holding up, if that's what you're asking."

"Good. So you remember the conversation we had last night while having drinks with the team? You're still up for that, right?"

Kate tilted her head to one side, trying to recall the mentioned conversation. Parts of last night were slowly coming back to her.

"Your partner has that case, right? The one that could do with Castle's help getting in?"

"Yeah, that's it. So I spoke to my partner, Turner, and she says your help would be greatly appreciated. If you could pop by Vice I can introduce you to Turner and she'll be able to give you a proper briefing, see if you're up for it."

"Give me twenty minutes and I'll meet you on the Vice floor?" Kate offered.

"Alright. See you in twenty."

* * *

Leigh made the introductions when Kate arrived, and the detectives warmed up to each other immediately. Kate was given the lowdown on the case, and, sensing an opportunity, quickly snatched up their offer. Turner, who was acting as Lead Detective for this operation, promptly put in the paperwork requesting Kate's assistance in Vice. The paperwork would likely take a few days to be fully processed, so Kate took the opportunity to get up to speed and learn all the necessary details surrounding the operation while she was still in New York.

Once she was given the go ahead, Kate was to go up to the Hamptons to do some recon work. It would also give her the perfect excuse to look up Castle, as an added bonus. He had been bugging her for undercover work, especially since that charity event last year. He had taken great delight in seeing Kate all dressed up in that red gown. He'd become even more persistent ever since she saved his ass by pretending to be a Russian hooker, _relentlessly_ trying to find out what else she could be persuaded to do. _It's research for Nikki,_ he would whine. And it had taken a large amount of creative threats from Kate to finally get him to shut up.

Kate coming to his doorstep and willingly asking him for help with undercover work would be like Christmas arriving early for Castle.

* * *

Kate finally got the green light to head up to the Hamptons on Friday. She was instructed use the weekend to set up her contacts – in this case, Castle would be her way in – before contacting Hamptons PD on Monday to receive her official instructions. Turner had given her the contact for the detectives from Hamptons PD that she would be collaborating with.

The drive up to the Hamptons was uneventful. Kate took her Softtail as she'd planned the week earlier, zipping through traffic with ease. She had even sent Castle a text right before leaving New York, but hadn't heard back from him.

Kate only stopped once for gas, the overhead clouds, which cast a solemn, gray tinge to the sky, spurring her to push onward. She hadn't planned on getting caught in the rain.

It didn't take long for Kate to get to town. In the distance, the storm clouds gathered and thunder rumbled, it's low cadence making the air hum with energy. The wind was also beginning to pick up speed, carrying the salty smell of the sea into town. She dismounted from the bike, the ground feeling solid under her feet after having been on the bike so long. She zipped up her leather jacket a little higher, to stave off the chill of the sea breeze.

Spotting a delivery boy, Kate showed him the piece of paper with Castle's address, now crumpled and slightly smudged, asking him for directions on which way she should head.

He gave her basic instructions before Kate thanked him and rode off. Droplets of rain had begun to fall as Kate approached his neighborhood. She hunkered down over her bike, trying to stay as dry as she could while locating his street.

Kate silently cursed Castle, these damned Hamptons mansions were spaced so far apart that even going from one street to another took precious time that she didn't have. By the time she pulled up to the correct address, the sky had opened up and was releasing a torrent of rain.

Kate quickly headed straight for the front door, her main goal now just to get out of the rain. She took a few seconds to wring the rain out of her hair, using the tempered glass of his front door as a makeshift mirror to fix her appearance the best she could. She sure hoped Castle was in.

Kate lifted her hand to press the doorbell but hesitated right before she made contact. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She glanced around but there was no one in sight, no other signs of life out in the rain. She double-checked the number on the front door to make sure it was indeed Castle's address.

Bouncing from foot to foot, she transferred her weight back and forth trying to work up the courage to just ring the bell. The rain wasn't letting up and it didn't seem like she had much of a choice.

_Here goes nothing. _

Kate pressed his doorbell once, waiting a few seconds before pressing it twice more.

She could hear a muffled chime echoing from within the house and for the first time, wondered just how large this place was. She hadn't really been paying attention to the house but now she had time to assess the property she realized how huge it was, more akin to a mansion than just a summer house. He could probably comfortably host multiple families here!

Kate bit her bottom lip nervously when no one came to the door. She wondered if she should try his cell or if she should ring the doorbell once more. Maybe she should give him some more time – for all she knew, he could have been on the other side of the mansion when she first rang the bell.

She bounced lightly on the ball of her foot, silently humming a random tune to distract herself. The door suddenly swung open.

"Beckett?"

She stopped humming immediately and smiled sheepishly at her partner.

"Hey Castle."

His hair was all mussed, as though he had just woken from a nap or had been running his hands through his hair in frustration. Since he was dressed to go out, she deduced it was likely to be the latter.

He blinked rapidly and frowned at her confusedly. "_Beckett?_" he repeated, as though he couldn't believe she was really in front of him.

She let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, you already said that."

"How did you find- Why are you here?"

"Didn't you get my text? I sent it from New York. That should have been a couple hours ago, and as to how, I'm a cop, remember? It makes looking up people easy."

He looked at her blankly, slowly saying, "My phone… Battery's been out. You're… here. _You looked me up?_"

Looks like she had really caught him by surprise. Kate stuffed her hands into her back pockets.

"Well, uh, yeah, I kinda looked you up on the database, but just to get your Hamptons address. Are you… heading out or something?" she asked.

He looked down to see what he was wearing and grimaced.

Kate added quickly, "Is this a bad time? I mean, I can always head back to town to find a hotel but uh, maybe after the rain stops?"

He finally opened the door wider and stepped back, apologizing. "I'm so sorry, no. Please, come in, I've just been- had something on my mind."

Kate ducked her head to cover her blush as she thanked him. They had been standing out in front for so long, she on one side of the door and he on the other, that she had begun to wonder if he would ever invite her in or if he was going to turn her away.

"Would you like a towel to dry yourself or do you prefer a shower?"

"Rick? What's taking so long? Who's at the door?" Gina's voice floated across the front hall before she emerged under the doorway two seconds later.

Kate's mouth fell open. She didn't know Gina would still be here!

Gina mirrored Kate's actions when she caught sight of the detective, mouth falling open in surprise. She looked at Castle and then back to the wet detective, clamping her mouth to a thin line. Gina turned to glare at Castle, fury rolling off her in waves.

_If looks could kill, _Kate thought, looking helplessly at Castle. Coming up to the Hamptons had been a bad idea. A very bad idea.

She hadn't really meant to put him in this position, but Kate didn't know what to do now that she was already here.

Castle started, "Gina, I didn't-"

"Detective Beckett," Gina cut Castle off mid sentence, looking back at Kate, a fake smile plastered onto her face, "what a… surprise."

Ironically, she sounded less surprised than Castle.

"I sent a text to Castle earlier, but I guess it was my fault he didn't know I was coming up. I should have called or something," Kate explained, trying to take some of the heat off Castle.

She waited for Castle to say something or to diffuse the situation but he seemed to be tongue-tied.

"Well," Kate said, "It's a very lovely place you have up here."

Gina scoffed. "Yeah, well you can thank Derrick Storm for that. Then again, if Rick ever actually decides to finish Naked Heat he might be able to build a new wing in your honor. Come on, I'll show you around."

Gina's tone left no space for either of them to bargain. She turned around and began walking away, leaving Kate and Castle no choice but to scamper across the hall after her. Kate was all too conscious of her damp clothes leaving a trail of rainwater wherever she went, but Gina didn't seem to care and Castle hadn't seemed to notice. He looked to be deep in his own thoughts.

Gina led them through the waiting hall and into the informal living room.

"At one stage this was called the Purple Room," Gina explained, her tone bland. "The interior designers originally gave it a blue theme, to match the ocean through those windows," Gina pointed in the general direction of the side windows, but due to the storm it was all a murky gray outside. She turned back to Kate and continued, "Anyway, Little Alexis came up here and decided _purple_ was a better color."

Kate was taken back at the sudden bitter tone and glanced furtively at Castle. He, too, was looking warily at Gina.

"So of course Rick repainted the room purple, _no discussions there_, changing the furniture as well. I came up two weeks later, and you can't imagine how surprised I was. But then again, I should have known better, right?"

"Gina," Rick warned in a low tone, taking a step towards her while shaking his head subtly.

Gina took a few steps further into the room, not in the least bit bothered by Castle.

"And so it became the Purple Room. Two months later Alexis changed her mind. She didn't like purple anymore, deciding _blue_ was a much nicer color since it matched her eyes. So Rick got the decorators back in to change the room back to its original design. He just doesn't know a good thing when it's right there in front of him, you know?"

Castle crossed the space between them in a few long strides, holding her close to him while he whispered harshly into her ear.

Gina didn't seem fazed by him, laughing bitterly as she shrugged him off, facing Kate as she continued, "What do they say about writers? You can't rush a genius?"

Kate fidgeted uncomfortably as Gina looked expectantly at her for an answer. She had been standing frozen at the same spot throughout Gina's little story, and as a result, a small puddle of water had pooled around her feet. That knowledge combined with Gina's scrutiny brought a surge of heat to Kate's cheeks.

Gina looked her up and down, eyes settling on the small puddle on the expensive hardwood floors. It was hard for Kate not to shrivel and cower under the look of contempt on Gina's face. She was looking at Kate as though she had just drowned a basketful of kittens.

_So that's how she keeps her authors in line,_ Kate thought.

"I'm sorry, uh, for the-" Kate gestured at the mess around her feet. "Maybe you could show me the bathroom?"

Castle finally looked at Kate, taking in her disheveled, wet state for what seemed like the first time.

"Oh Rick where are your manners? Go fetch her a towel will you? I'll bring her around the house, get to know your _muse_ a little better."

Castle looked as though he was torn. Kate smiled encouragingly at him as she tried to keep from shivering. To be quite honest, the cold was beginning to seep into her limbs despite the flush in her cheeks. She sure hoped she wouldn't catch a cold.

Once again Gina stepped in, driving Castle into action. "Come on, Rick, you're not afraid of leaving your detective with me, right? Surely _Nikki_ can take some heat," she teased.

Kate wondered if she _should_ be afraid when she detected the hint of malice in Gina's undertones, preposterous as it may sound.

Castle looked at Kate to see if she was okay with the situation, and she gave him a tiny nod. "I'll be back soon," he said, giving Gina a parting _look._

"So, Detective Beckett, shall we?" Gina asked.

"Please, Kate will do."

"Kate, then. Come on, let me show you the next room and Rick's study. Wouldn't you like to see where he's been spending all his time writing?"

Kate had no idea what the appropriate reply was in this case since she was rather certain the hint of jealousy wasn't imaginary. She made a neutral hum, following closely behind Gina. As Gina launched into another short narration regarding the next room, Kate thought, _At least Castle can easily track our progress from room to room based on the trail of water I'm leaving behind._

* * *

Gina eventually led her into the dining room, and Kate couldn't help but to comment on the lavish dinner still set out on the table.

"Wow, it's quite a feast you have here."

Gina scoffed, muttering something under her breath that Kate couldn't quite catch. She wasn't all too sure she was meant to hear what Gina was saying anyway. Kate tried to stand unobtrusively in a corner, but Gina was having none of that. She gestured for the detective to join her at the table, reaching for the bottle of red wine that was set out to breathe.

"Red wine okay? Rick picked it so I guess it has to be good. We both know how he likes to dote."

Kate didn't really know what Gina was talking about but she nodded along anyway. Gina handed her one of the glasses before picking the other up for herself, adding contemptuously, "Well, until the next shiny thing comes along anyway. Cheers."

They clinked glasses and Kate took a small sip of her wine. Gina was right. It _was_ good. She snuck a look at Gina, surprised to see the blond taking three healthy gulps of the wine.

"So tell me, _Kate_, just how long have you two been planning this little… _rendezvous_?" Gina rounded on her suddenly, her question taking Kate by surprise.

She choked, causing the red wine to go down the wrong way. Kate fanned herself as tears sprung to her eyes, gasping helplessly as she quickly set her glass of wine onto the table.

Gina continued nonchalantly, spinning her own tale.

"Did you arrive early? Was that the glitch? Or was it all part of your elaborate plan? Get Rick to put me in a good mood so that I'd be more susceptible to welcome you? Well it's too bad, Kate, dinner was ruined before it even started. You must be proud of yourself, starting trouble even in your absence."

Kate protested, "Gina, I have no idea what you're talking about. I swear. I had no idea you were still up here with him. I wouldn't have-"

But Gina was having none of it.

"Lies! You _saw_ me leaving with him last week! How dare you-"

"Gina that's enough!" Castle interrupted, rushing over with a large towel in hand. Kate immediately reached for the towel, opening it up to wrap around her body.

Turning to Kate, he told her, "Beckett, as you can see, now isn't really a good time. However, you are welcome to go upstairs, there's a row of guest rooms on the right side of the hall. Please make yourself comfortable in any one of them and take a shower if you want. You should be able to find everything you would need in the bathroom cabinet. Gina and I need to have a few words, alone."

* * *

A/N: Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! More to come in the next chapter :)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you Trish for the beta! All mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

"Beckett?"

Castle couldn't believe she was really there. He blinked a few times, not believing his eyes.

"Beckett?" he repeated, because some things _needed_ to be questioned even when you have proof there right in front of your eyes.

She chuckled.

"Yeah, you already said that."

How could she chuckle at a time like this? Did she find this situation entertaining? Gina was going to flip out if she knew his partner was here in the Hamptons. What in the world was she doing on his front door, drenched wet anyway? How did she even find his house in the first place?

"How did you find- Why are you here?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could fully process them.

Beckett mentioned something about sending him a text. She had continued talking, but he had already zoned out. Around them, the rain continued pouring.

Text. That's the second person that has tried to contact him today but failed. If only he had charged his phone earlier, he wouldn't have been caught in such a sticky situation.

"Are you… heading out or something?" She was looking him up and down quizzically, so Castle looked down to check out his outfit.

Right. He was wearing the blue dress shirt that Gina liked.

"Is this a bad time? I mean, I can always head back to town to find a hotel but uh, maybe after the rain stops?"

Castle finally remembered his manners, swinging the door open to invite her in. She must be freezing cold. "Would you like a towel to dry yourself or do you prefer a shower-"

"Rick? What's taking so long? Who's at the door?"

Okay, things may seem bleak at the moment, but it wasn't really as bad as it seemed. He could still turn this around. Beckett's presence came as a complete surprise to him. He still meant what he had said earlier to Gina; she didn't have to worry about Beckett. He could get out of this mess alive.

One look at Gina and Castle immediately changed his mind. He was pretty sure Gina was trying to kill him with her glare alone. Medusa had nothing on her.

He had to reassure Gina that he didn't know Beckett would be coming up. Heck, he still had no idea what Beckett was doing up here in the Hamptons!

"Gina, I didn't-"

She cut him off, not even giving him a chance to explain himself. Before he knew it, Gina had offered to take Beckett on a tour of the place. He _knew_ this was a bad idea but before Castle could stop her, Beckett had begun making her way across the hall, following Gina who had walked off immediately. Castle had no choice but to scamper and follow behind them.

As Gina began telling Beckett about the house, Castle's mind began to wander, and all too soon he was lost in his own thoughts. He had to be the unluckiest person on this planet. How could he be faced with two seemingly impossible situations, with crappy timing to boot, all in the span of a week? At this rate, his heart would give out long before the summer ended.

He perked up and was brought back to the present when Gina mentioned Alexis' name. He hadn't heard this story before, but knowing Gina's current mood, things were about to get ugly.

"So of course Rick repainted the room purple, no discussions there, and he had to change the furniture as well. I came up two weeks later, and you can't imagine how surprised I was. But then again, I should have known better, right?"

He tried to put a lid on things before Gina got out of hand. "Gina," he'd warned in a low tone, moving closer to her whilst subtly shaking his head. However, she ignored him completely and just walked further away and continued to recite her story.

"Two months later Alexis changed her mind. She didn't like purple anymore, deciding _blue_ was a much nicer color since it matched her eyes. So Rick got the decorators back to change the room to its original design. He just doesn't know a good thing when it's right there in front of him, you know?"

It looked like Gina was reaching her boiling point. Castle was familiar with the signs, and she was going to catastrophically explode soon. He crossed the room, grabbing her forearms with enough force to let her know he was serious but not to the point of hurting her.

"That's enough. I know you're mad at me, but that's between the two of us. We can discuss things in private later. Don't do this, Gina," he whispered into her ear, still trying to keep his partner out of the crosshairs.

She brushed him off, baiting Beckett to say something that could be used against her. Thankfully, the detective remained quiet, looking at the floor uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, uh, for the-" Beckett gestured at the mess around her feet. "Maybe you could show me the bathroom?"

He looked at Beckett, finally realizing her discomfort as she gestured at the rainwater collecting around her feet. Gina sent him to fetch her a towel while the two of them continued with the tour of the house. Castle looked between his partner and Gina, hesitating.

Beckett must be extremely uncomfortable in her wet clothes - not to mention cold, but he didn't know if he could trust Gina not to kill Beckett if they were left alone in the same room. Beckett gave him an encouraging smile as Gina taunted, "Come on, Rick, you're not afraid of leaving your detective with me, right? Surely _Nikki_ can take some heat."

If they were in an altogether different situation, Castle might have found Gina's play on words amusing. But as it was, he straightened, giving Gina a warning look to behave herself as he left the room.

"I'll be back soon."

* * *

Locating the towels took longer than expected. He went back to the front hall and took the stairs two at a time to get to the second floor. Alexis' room had been the nearest so he entered it and headed for the closet with all her towels. He opened the closet door, but instead of towels, he found himself staring at Alexis' collection of beach hats and sunglasses.

That was weird. Maybe the towels had been relocated since the last time he redecorated. He tried a few more of Alexis' closets but to no avail.

Cursing his bad luck, he exited Alexis' bedroom and tried a couple of different rooms in order to find where the towels were now stored. Coming up empty handed, he finally headed for the closet at the end of the hall. Unfortunately, that closet hadn't been restocked. Castle had no choice but to cross over to the other side of the house with the laundry room and pick out a fresh towel.

He hurried back to the main wing of the house, praying that neither Gina nor Beckett had murdered each other in his absence.

* * *

Distant shouting alerted him to their presence in the dining room. Hurrying over, he heard Gina's accusations bouncing off the walls.

"Lies! You _saw_ me leaving with him last week! How dare you-"

That's it. Enough was enough.

"Gina that's enough!" he interrupted, handing the towel over to Beckett who was now visibly shivering. He hoped it was from the cold and not because of Gina. He didn't know what else Gina might have said in his absence, but it was clearly past time to separate the two women.

"Beckett, as you can see, now isn't really a good time. However, you are welcome to go upstairs, there's a row of guest rooms on the right side of the hall. Please make yourself comfortable in any one of them and take a shower if you want. You should be able to find everything you would need in the bathroom cabinet. Gina and I need to have a few words, alone."

Beckett wrapped the towel around herself tightly, but instead of heading upstairs like he suggested, she lingered, shooting darting looks between Castle and Gina.

"I think I'll just get a room in one of the hotels in town. I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have come."

Castle frowned. He couldn't possibly send her away after she had rode all the way here. Besides, he still didn't know what she was doing in the Hamptons.

"Beckett please, we've more than enough rooms," he said, sincerity in his tone.

He hadn't spared Gina a glance since his first offer but Beckett looked at Gina furtively. Castle could only imagine what Gina looked like at the moment.

"That's alright. I think I'll just stay in town all the same. I insist. Besides, the rain is almost letting up already. I'll uh, I'll come over tomorrow to talk to you about the case."

He wasn't sure if the rain was actually letting up, but the roar of thunder had lessened considerably. Castle reluctantly gave in.

"At least let me give you a lift into town," he offered.

Beckett gave a small shrug as she moved to unwrap the towel. At least she wasn't dripping wet anymore.

"Oh Rick, how chivalrous," Gina drawled sarcastically.

He physically refrained himself from pinching the bridge of his nose - he didn't want Gina to know just how much she was affecting him - but he let out a slow exhale before turning to face her.

"It's dark out and she's riding a motorcycle all alone into town in the storm. Gina, I'll just drop her off and come right back."

She scoffed, not sympathetic in the least.

"And whose choice was it to ride a bike up here all alone?!"

Gina stormed out of the dining room without another word, leaving Castle and Beckett behind.

Castle felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment over Gina's behavior. Looking over at Beckett, he noticed she was staring down at her feet, looking a little guilty. At last, she broke the silence.

"Castle, I swear, I had no idea she was still going to be up here with you. I wouldn't have come if I had known."

He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. No use crying over spilled milk.

"What are you doing up-"

Castle broke off as he heard the unmistakable rev of the Ferrari's engine. His eyes widened in alarm. Shit.

He turned to head for the garage, telling Beckett, "Just stay, please. Take one of the guest rooms, I can't deal with- I need to go to Gina, but stay, okay? At least tonight." He lingered just long enough to receive a small nod from Beckett before sprinting off after Gina.

* * *

"Gina? Gina!" He shouted, approaching the garage. He breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the stationary Ferrari with its lights turned on. Gina was squinting at the remote control and tapping it against the dashboard. It seemed she was having trouble with operating the garage door opener.

Castle ran over to the driver's side, trying to open the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. He tapped against the window.

"Gina, come on, open up for me. What are you doing?"

She ignored him, repeatedly jabbing at the tiny buttons on the remote control, however, the garage doors remained stubbornly shut.

He continued tapping against the window insistently, not letting up. "Gina, please, I had no idea she was coming up. I don't even know why she's here, but your behavior was inexcusable and you don't get to just run away after making a mess of things!"

Inside the car, Gina hit the steering wheel in frustrated with the heel of her palm. A loud honk echoed within the garage.

Mad as he was, he still felt a twinge of pity when he saw tears making their way down her face as her chest heaved. He never meant to hurt her; to bring her such pain.

"Gina, open up the door," he repeated, soft but firm.

A few beats passed in silence before Gina slowly reached to lower her window.

"I know you're mad, but I had no idea she was coming. There's nothing between us and you had nothing to worry about, but you crossed a line back there with Beckett. Like it or not she's still my partner and guest-"

Gina shut her eyes and held up a hand, stopping him. Her voice was low and controlled when she asked, "Where's she staying?"

He hesitated.

Gina repeated, "Just one question, Rick, where's she staying?"

"I told her to stay here tonight," he admitted.

Gina handed him the remote control. She stared straight ahead, but her voice was laced tight with tension. "I can't- how do you work this damn thing? Just open the doors for me, Rick."

"Gina, come on," he said, reaching for the remote control if only to take it away from her.

"I'm not staying if _she's_ here." Gina finally turned to look at him, glaring defiantly with red rimmed eyes. "I won't stay around to have you flaunt her in my face!"

"Gina, be reasonable! It's just one night. I'll send her to town tomorrow to get a hotel if that will make you happy. Don't do this, Gina."

Her jaw remained set, she was unmovable.

He could barely believe Gina's behavior. Not only had she been extremely rude, now she didn't even want to take up responsibility for her actions! He added, "If anything, you owe her an apology - you'd never treat any other guest this way."

Gina blinked as more tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. She turned to look in front once more. "Whatever." She closed her eyes, adding in a voice that shook, "Just let me leave, Rick. Don't force me to stay because I might do or say something we'd both regret."

He closed his eyes and straightened slowly. Rushing into a relationship with Gina had been a mistake. There was no talking to Gina until she cooled down, she wouldn't listen to anything he said until she was ready to.

"Where will you go?" he asked softly, giving in to her. Despite the misunderstandings and problems he's had with Beckett recently, it was beginning to dawn upon him that Gina wasn't the solution. If he was honest with himself, she was merely a distraction to keep him occupied for the time being.

"Uhm, I'm not- I-" Gina hastily swiped at the tear tracks on her face. "I think I'll go back to New York. It's a short journey with the Ferrari and, uh, there's work to be done."

Castle was beginning to realize that this was probably going to be the end of their relationship, but he didn't feel the heartbreak that normally accompanied an impending break up. If anything, he felt lighter. It was as if he didn't have to lie to himself anymore. Her insecurities and his forced ignorance were going to end this relationship.

Gina seemed to sense his thoughts, telling him, "I don't think- I'm not the only one at fault here for the problems in our relationship. I don't know, why don't you go sort things out with your detective, I just- I can't do it now, Rick, I can't think or even stand to hold a conversation with you when _she's_ everywhere."

He stepped back, nodding tightly. He wasn't going to waste anymore energy quarreling with Gina. If she refused to see the error in her ways, he wasn't going to waste his breath either.

He pressed the correct buttons and the garage door slowly began to slide open.

"Call me when you're in New York, okay? Be careful on the wet roads. Drive safe, Gina."

She nodded tightly, clearing her throat a few times before she spoke. "I'll have someone send the Ferrari back here in a day or two. I'll call and let you know, okay? And you need to send your drafts in. I know you've gotten some writing done, just, keep at it, okay? You shouldn't have a problem with Nikki now that your muse is here anyway." The last sentence was added softly, as if it were a bitter afterthought.

Gina rolled up her window and drove off, not sticking around to cross more swords with Castle.

He watched her make her way out of the driveway, lingering until the red taillights disappeared before shutting the garage door.

What a mess.

He took a minute for himself, standing still in the quiet garage before reluctantly shutting off the lights and heading into the house. Now he had to figure out just what Beckett was doing in the Hamptons.

* * *

A/N: And then there were two. Hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll be away for a week so no updates till after I return, but I would still _love_ to hear your thoughts!


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